Local/Regional Economic Development in South ... - Value Chains

28 ern European partner countries GTZ experts supported
the establishing of monitoring and evaluation structures
for the funds, in line with EU requirements. As a partner
institution of the Bulgarian Labor Ministry, GTZ organized
the deployment of experts from Bremen, North
Rhine-Westphalia, several East German states and other
European countries, to familiarize the Bulgarian partners
with the various models of administrative structures
within the EU. Furthermore GTZ offered training in the
preparation of sustainable labor-market projects, specific
application procedures and efficient project implementation,
at both the regional and local levels.
Efficient use of funds and financial controlling: GTZ experts
provided advice on efficient financial management
and effective financial control to the Structural Fund projects
in Bulgaria, Poland, Slovenia and Hungary. This advice
emphasized corruption prevention and how to meet specific
regulations required to qualify for assistance through
the EU subsidy policy. Projects of this nature, that relate
to EU financial control issues, are usually implemented by
the German Federal Ministry of Finance, not GTZ.
Outlook
Administration partnerships on regional policy issues are
also operating in countries to which the EU has not yet
opened the door to accession. Particularly with the newly
formulated Neighborhood Policy for the regions bordering
the EU, the EU is relying on the instruments developed
under the regional structural policy programs. GTZ
on behalf of both the German Government and the European
Commission, is continuing to offer government
advisory services in order to support integration between
the old EU countries and the countries of Central and
Eastern Europe that have recently joined the EU, or will
do so in the future.
GTZ promotes co-operation between administrative institutions
in transnational cooperation programs, through
which regional policy concepts are further developed and
improved. Examples are the GTZ initiated INTEREG
projects, in the areas of regional energy markets, the modernization
of trans-European railway connections and
their regional economic links. It is a logical step to include
partners from the regions bordering the EU in these
transnational partnerships.
Recommended reading
Regional Policy – Inforegio (structural/cohesion policy)
http://europa.eu.int/comm/regional_policy/index_en.htm
The European Regional Development Fund – ERDF
http://europa.eu.int/comm/regional_policy/funds/prord/prord_en.htm
Twinning – EU
http://europa.eu.int/comm/enlargement/pas/twinning/
Twinning – GTZ
http://www.gtz.de/de/weltweit/europa-kaukasus-zentralasien/regionalethemen/2555.htm
Contacts
Philipp Casula, GTZ OE 3124
philipp.casula@gtz.de
Bernd Schmidt, GTZ OE 3124
bernd.schmidt@gtz.de